Imam of China's Biggest Mosque Stabbed to Death

On July 30, Jume Tahir–the imam of China’s largest mosque–was stabbed to death in Kashgar. Tahir was chief imam of the Id Kah mosque, “deputy president of the Xinjiang Islamic Association,” and “a former deputy to the Official National People’s Congress (NPC).”

The Guardian reports that “a western tourist told Reuters he had seen a bloodied body outside the Id Kah mosque and two men with knives running away.”

Tahir’s death took place amid a rise “in violence in China’s vast far western region,” which is “home to a rebellious indigenous Uighar Muslim population.” It came just days after China accused “Islamic terrorists” of carrying out a “gang attack with knives in Xinjiang” and then “killed dozens” of the accused.

On July 31, police killed two suspects in the murder of Tahir and arrested a third. Details surrounding the case are scarce as Chinese officials have released little official information.